Ichinose Honami watched Shiranami Chihiro's sorrowful retreating figure. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and worry still lingered in her pale blue eyes. Her lips formed a faint crescent, but it did nothing to hide the helplessness in her expression. Only when Shiranami's footsteps faded did she slowly turn around and look at Watanabe Hayabara.
Watanabe Hayabara bowed slightly in apology and let out a soft sigh. Straightening up, he gave a helpless wave of his hand, his bangs falling over one eye. "Sorry, Ichinose. This was the best thing to do. If Shiranami can face the problem and calm down, she'll feel much better."
Ichinose Honami froze for a moment at his words, then unclasped her hands and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, revealing her small earlobe. She smiled at Watanabe, her eyes curving and shallow dimples appearing in her cheeks, though the smile never reached her eyes. "It's all right, Watanabe." Her voice rose lightly at the end, as if she were trying to dispel the heaviness in the air. "Shiranami just can't accept it yet. She'll be fine after a while." She paused. "Thank you so much for today, Watanabe."
Ichinose sat down beside the right side of the wooden bench, her skirt brushing its carved surface. She instinctively shifted a few inches to the side, while Watanabe leaned against the left armrest, his long legs stretched out casually. There was enough space between them for another person to sit, and only the rustling of the evening breeze through the cherry branches stirred the air.
"Watanabe," Ichinose broke the silence first, her voice thin as a spider's thread. "Could we exchange contact information? Um..." She glanced quickly up at him. "I may need to trouble you again about Shiranami."
Watanabe turned his head slightly and immediately spotted Ichinose's reddened ear tips. He took his phone from his pocket, and as he unlocked it, the screen's glow lit up the smile at the corner of his mouth. "Of course, Ichinose." He paused, his finger hovering over the add-friend screen, then turned to look at her, amusement glimmering in his eyes. "So, next time, should I show up as your fake boyfriend again? Or..."
Ichinose followed his gaze and met his smiling eyes. His smile seemed to hold scattered starlight, and her heart gave a sudden, missed beat. Heat rushed to her cheeks, and even her ears burned. She hurriedly looked away, staring at her intertwined fingers. She didn't even notice her straw hat slipping onto her shoulder. "Th-this..." Her voice was barely audible, and its ending trembled almost imperceptibly.
"Hahahaha!" Watanabe's laughter rang out like wind chimes stirred by the breeze, sending ripples of cheer through the dusk. He scratched his hair, the teasing in his eyes gradually giving way to warmth. "I'm just kidding, Ichinose."
Ichinose pressed her lips together. The fingers resting on her knees slowly relaxed, and her voice was so soft it seemed the evening breeze might carry it away, yet it reached Watanabe all the same. "It's okay, Watanabe." Her eyelashes lowered further, and her cheeks flushed crimson. "If you playing the role of my boyfriend could help win Shiranami back..." She stopped, as if something had caught in her throat. Only after a long while did she finish the sentence. "I wouldn't mind."
"See you next time, Ichinose." Watanabe Hayabara said, the curve of his lips softer than before. His voice held a casual note of amusement, as if he were afraid of disturbing the quiet dusk. "If you have any problems, just ask me for help. I'd be happy to."
Ichinose Honami rose almost at the same time as him, moving so quickly that she stirred a breeze. "Take care, Watanabe." Her voice sounded brighter than before.
Watanabe waved to her and turned away, his steps a little lighter. After walking a few paces, he suddenly looked back and raised his chin toward Ichinose, who was still standing there. "Don't stay in the park too long, Ichinose. The evening air gets chilly."
With that, he turned and disappeared into the shadows of the cherry trees, his figure soon swallowed by their lengthening shadows.
Ichinose Honami remained where she was. Only after his figure had vanished completely did she slowly lower her hand, which had been raised in the air. She gazed in the direction Watanabe had gone, a faint smile still lingering on her lips.
At seven fifty, before the morning mist had fully lifted, a thin layer of moisture still clung to the windows at the back of the classroom. Chabashira Sae pushed open the door in the final three seconds before the warning bell ended, the metallic creak of the handle coinciding with the last echoes of the bell.
"Good morning, everyone. You all seem even more excited than usual today."
"Teacher Sae! Are we getting zero points again this month? I checked my balance this morning, but nothing was deposited!" Kanji Ike complained.
Chabashira Sae's gaze swept across the classroom. Twenty-eight pairs of eyes seemed magnetically drawn to the fingers holding the paper in her hand. By the window, Kushida Kikyo discreetly tucked the hair hanging over her cheek behind her ear. The exposed earlobe was flushed with tension.
"So that's why you're all so excited?" Chabashira Sae's high heels paused at the edge of the platform. Their sharp taps against the terrazzo floor quieted the restless air for half a second.
Kanji Ike's Adam's apple bobbed twice, and he tugged his uniform collar out of shape. "We practically worked ourselves to death this month!" "We even made it through midterms... but we still got zero. Isn't that too much? And we haven't been late, skipped class, or chatted among ourselves!" Kanji Ike continued to complain.
"Don't jump to conclusions. Listen to me first. Ike, as you said, you've worked hard enough to impress even me. I'll give you that. And, just as you've experienced firsthand, the school can certainly understand that." Chabashira Sae reassured them.
Chabashira Sae lectured Ike, and he fell silent and sat down.
"Now, I'll announce this month's points." Chabashira Sae spread the paper she was holding across the blackboard. The results were revealed in order, starting with Class A.
Class A: 987 BP
Class B: 912 BP
Class C: 678 BP
Class D: 13 BP
[Even after students dropped out, the class still had 13 Class Points. Class C had won big this time, though, narrowing the gap with Classes A and B.]
"Huh? What? Thirteen points... We still have thirteen Class Points? Thank goodness!" Seeing that their class still had points, Kanji Ike sprang out of his seat.
"Two students dropped out, so the class should have had zero points. But because of the monthly performance calculation, you received 13 Class Points. You could say that the timing worked in your favor." Chabashira Sae explained.
Before you continue